Sakura in the Sunlight
by siamesemewling
Summary: Sometimes happy memories can take away the fear associated with previous ones...a happy fic for Hisoka...
1. Default Chapter

1 Sakura in the Sunlight  
  
  
  
Sakura…  
  
Kirei desu ne…  
  
Demo…kekkyu wa akai desu  
  
Hanabira mo akai desu  
  
Doushite…kase to sakura to  
  
Itsumo wa akai desu yo  
  
Yoyokagirinaku…  
  
  
  
Sakura….  
  
Such beauty…  
  
But, blood that flows is red  
  
As are the petals that fall  
  
Why…are the winds that blow or the sakura that fall  
  
Forever and ever  
  
In neverending shades of red and no other…  
  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………  
  
  
  
Kurosaki Hisoka rubbed at his eyes and stretched his arms above his head wearily, then dropped his head onto folded arms. It had been another long day at work looking through countless files.  
  
So many unsolved deaths…it was amazing…he remembered reading cases of unnatural deaths by the dozen in the newspapers when he was still alive, but this…this CHUNK of paperwork occupying his entire desk and threatening to sandpile over to the floor in a violent avalanche was unbelievable.  
  
"Oh great," he thought to himself, "Since when did you relegate deaths to mere paperwork? These files belonged to actual lives for goodness' sake."  
  
But when you dealt with sordid cases day in and out, he supposed, one was entitled to some sympathy even an empath, especially an empath, he consoled himself sullenly.  
  
"Ehh…Hi-chan!!!" a cheerful voice sang out…  
  
Hisoka's eyes opened and travelled up a familiar row of black buttons to meet a pair of bright purple eyes.  
  
"Nan desuka?" he growled. Unbelievable that someone could still be so cheery at the end of the day.  
  
"Stop acting like an old man, Hi-chan… It's five o-clock!!! End of the week!!! We have an entire day off tomorrow!!!" Tsuzuki practically bounced with energy.  
  
"Unbelievable, just unbelievable, how does he do it?" Hisoka thought, looking over to his partner's desk with an equally inconquerable mountain of papers.  
  
"Look, I'll probably have to come in tomorrow too just to clear out some of this stuff. I haven't got the statistics for last month ready, and it's already the fifteenth of this month," Hisoka grumbled and closed his eyes again.  
  
Only to jump in shock when a pair of hands started massaging his shoulders vigorously.  
  
"Maa, maa….Hi-chan, you ARE getting to be a very old man," Tsuzuki clucked away as a series of alarming pops sounded from Hisoka's neck.  
  
"BAKAYAROUTSUZUKIDon't..do…..that….!!!" Hisoka protested and started to sit up…but his voice trailed off as overwhelming feelings of genuine concern leaked past his hastily built shields…It was nice…in a way…to have the aches and pains of the day….eased…away….  
  
"Anou….Hi-chan, Watari-san and I have been thinking…" Tsuzuki's voice woke Hisoka up as he was on the brink of reverie. "Since we do have a day off tomorrow, let's go do something fun together for a change. You know… get together for a time-honoured festive occasion celebrating Nature's abundance and beauty with lots of o-sake and sushi and sashimi and konnyaku and okashi and kusamochi and dorayaki and …"  
  
"What are you talking about?" Hisoka hastily interrupted before Tsuzuki started naming all the sweets in the world of the living and the dead.  
  
Tsuzuki lowered his head so that he was staring directly into a pair of startled green eyes.  
  
"HA-NA-MI!!!" he exclaimed, "We haven't celebrated that in years and since it's the spring and the sakura are blooming, it's the perfect occasion for an office get-together!"  
  
"But it's ALWAYS spring here in Meifu and the sakura are ALWAYS blooming so what's the big deal?"  
  
"But…but…I've already spoken to Tatsumi-san and even Konoe-san and they've agreed to come too! So it's just you left, Hi-chan..and besides…if you catch Tatsumi-san and Konoe-san in a good mood tomorrow, they might just extend our deadline for catching up with those statistics… Onegai….Hiiisokkaaa…" Tsuzuki turned his Purple Puppy EyesTM full-force onto a hapless Hisoka and waited in anticipation…  
  
"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT STOP IT!!!" Hisoka exclaimed, giving up all resistance. "I suppose…it might..be fun…"  
  
"ARIGATOU HI-CHAN!!!!" Tsuzuki gave Hisoka's shoulders a last triumphant squeeze, and bounced out of the office with a last "Ja mata ashita yo!"  
  
Inspite of himself, Hisoka smiled and actually found himself looking forward to the gathering tomorrow. He would have normally spent the day at the library, but he really didn't want to read a single word more after staring at so many files throughout the week.  
  
When he was sure that no one was looking, Hisoka actually skipped out of the office that evening.  
  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………  
  
  
  
Light was streaming through the window the next morning at an angle that told Hisoka that it was already nine o'clock. He allowed himself the luxury of lazing for a few moments in bed and wondered briefly why he was feeling even better than usual on a Sunday. The he remembered with a smile that he had an appointment at the office today that had NOTHING to do with work.  
  
Taking along his contributions for the hanami party (a box of Tsuzuki's favourite Italian apple pie), Hisoka reached the office by ten and made his way to the huge sakura trees in the adjoining gardens.  
  
He was amazed to see Konoe-san in a bright orange-checked shirt with a blue bandanna around his neck (!) swigging away at a sake bottle, Tatsumi in sunglasses and shorts (!!) holding on to a microphone singing a hip-hop version of "Sakura" on the portable karaoke machine and Watari in his usual getup sitting against the sakura tree smiling blissfully ("At least there's someone normal around here.." Hisoka thought in relief…"Wait…I'm calling Watari "NORMAL" ??!!!"). The GuShoShin were flapping around dancing in time to Tatsumi's song. And Tsuzuki…was nowhere to be seen in the midst of this spectacle…  
  
"OHAYO HI-CHAN!!!" Hisoka jumped in shock for the second time in less than twenty-four hours when Tsuzuki practically yelled in his ear. He turned around to see Tsuzuki in a bright pink kimono (!!!) fanning himself frantically with a silk fan.  
  
"Ne, Hisoka, I was worried that you'd changed your mind"…Tsuzuki's eyes drifted down to the box that Hisoka was carrying…  
  
"APPLE PIE!!!! You're the best, Hi-chan!!!!!" he squealed and took off immediately with the box.  
  
Hisoka walked to the mat where everybody was seated and found himself actually relaxing in the warm sunshine amidst the camaraderie. Tatsumi had moved on to a second number and his voice wasn't bad at all. Tsuzuki was offering everyone a piece of apple pie and small cups of very potent sake.  
  
Encouraged by the high spirits that were being liberally passed around, the Shinigami settled down to play a raucous drinking game where the loser had to down more cups of sake and perform ever more complex tasks till everyone was thoroughly confused as to whose turn it was and decided to abandon the game in favour of the penalty. Being supposedly underaged, Hisoka downed only apple cider and had to excuse himself to the gents after one cup too many.  
  
When he returned the party had taken on a decidedly more drowsy tone and the Shinigami were sleeping in various postures. Unfortunately someone had left the microphone on and as it was pointing into Konoe's open mouth, his snores echoed reverently in the quiet spring air.  
  
Hisoka almost giggled, to his own surprise, and wondered if it was just apple cider in the cups that had been offered to him.  
  
He was about to settle down for a snooze himself when a sudden gust of wind swept the sakura petals from the trees and floated them gently onto the grass forming a soft pink carpet. Hisoka looked up into the mass of swirling petals and instinctively felt the stirrings of memory, and with it, darker whispers of fear, of pain, loneliness…as the pink petals began to deepen in colour into a sanguine red…  
  
Only to have a very drunk mass of pink kimono abruptly block his view and flop down beside him. Tsuzuki peeked at his partner and slurred, "Eh..Hi- chan, are you alright? You're getting awfully quiet again."  
  
"I'm falling asleep too, you baka…" he answered with a genuine smile.  
  
And as the winds continued to stir up the sakura petals, Hisoka saw them for what they were, beautiful pink blossoms riding on the breeze, dancing in the light. And he turned to his sleeping partner, whispering, "Thank you, Tsuzuki, for everything, for your friendship, and support. And for giving me another memory of sakura in the sunlight."  
  
As he drifted off to sleep, the winds shifted, and soft petals fell like gentle kisses onto the sleeping forms.  
  
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………  
  
OWARI  
  
  
  
The usual disclaimers etc. etc.  
  
This is NOT meant to be yaoi although it sure looks like it might be interpreted in that way. But of course, sincere friendship is one of the most genuine forms of love.  
  
Anyhow, I really wanted to write a happy fic for Hisoka…I think he's been through enough and I wanted to create a beautiful memory for him.  
  
Translations and a recipe to follow in the next chapter!!! 


	2. Translations and a Recipe

Translations – as promised!  
  
Nan desuka – What is it?  
  
Bakayarou/ baka – Idiot!  
  
O-sake – Japanese rice wine  
  
Sushi – I'm sure you know what this is, yes??!  
  
Sashimi – Fresh raw fish sliced thinly, usually eaten with soy sauce  
  
Konnyaku – A kind of firm, sweet jelly  
  
Okashi – A general word for sweets  
  
Kusamochi – Sweet rice cakes  
  
Dorayaki – A sweet with red bean paste sandwiched between two pancakes  
  
Hanami – A festival celebrating the blossoming of sakura trees in the spring. Companies will usually send their most junior employees to pick a spot underneath a sakura and have a very drunk, lively get-together.  
  
Arigatou – Thank you  
  
Ja mata ashita yo – See you tomorrow  
  
Ohayo – Good morning  
  
Owari – The End  
  
All that translating of food terms is making me awfully hungry….and for those who are interested…here's a recipe for one of Tsuzuki-san's favourite desserts –  
  
Dorayaki  
  
(Pancakes with sweet red bean paste filling)  
  
Ingredients:  
  
1 cup flour  
  
2/3 cup sugar  
  
1/2 tsp baking soda  
  
1/4 cup water  
  
1 pound sweet red beans / red bean paste  
  
How to Cook:  
  
Put eggs and sugar in a bowl and whisk very well.  
  
Dissolve baking soda in water.  
  
Add the water to the egg mixture.  
  
Add sifted flour in the egg mixture gradually.  
  
Heat a frying pan and lightly oil it.  
  
Pour a scoop of the batter in the pan and make a small pancake (4 inches in diameter.)  
  
Turn over when bubbles appear on the surface.  
  
Repeat this to make 8-10 pancakes.  
  
Cool the pancakes.  
  
Make pairs of pancakes and put a scoop of sweet red beans/ red bean paste between them (like an ice cream sandwich.)  
  
*Makes 4 servings.  
  
Now I'm REALLY hungry… 


End file.
